The Final Eclipse
by lesliewwrites
Summary: Takes place after 4x23. Silas wants his revenge and his Plan B is going to be worse than bringing down the veil. How does everyone else fit into the picture? No one will have time to take a breather before all hell breaks loose again! Ensemble cast. Not splitting up TVD into TO. Klaroline, Kalijah, and a bits of Mabekah and Delena.
1. Chapter 1

"But Damon!" protested Elena. "It's not fair!"

"When are you going to learn, my baby vamp, that life isn't fair?" said Damon, pulling Elena into his embrace. He kissed her on the forehead then pretended to look sternly at her. "No more buts. You're going to college. It's the least you can do after I wasted so much energy compelling various departments just so you can get into the same school as Caroline and Bonnie. Right, Caroline?"

Seated at the Salvatore's cushy sofa, Caroline rolled her eyes dramatically. It's been a month since that eventful graduation day. An entire month since Elena had chosen Damon. And the longest duration Caroline had seen Damon being caring consistently. Even his usual sarcasm was laced with traces of happiness - something Caroline couldn't help but notice from hanging out at the Salvatore's mansion that frequently - an "arrangement" that was owed more to the lack of hangout buddies than anything else.

Stefan haven't returned her call since he left town after he went to dump Silas's petrified body in the ravine. Caroline figured he was still heartbroken so she tried to ease up on the voicemails. Bonnie had texted her and Elena to inform them that she would be spending the summer with her mom. Her replies were infrequent and she never answered her calls. Caroline even had to go down personally to the administrative department to compel the receptionist to check if Bonnie had been accepted into the same college as her. The last time she saw Bonnie was after the graduation ceremony, before she went to employ her witchy powers to close up the veil. Caroline could feel it in her gut that something wasn't adding up. She wanted to ask Jeremy about it, but he was looking so dejected and keeping to himself and avoiding conversations that involved Bonnie, Caroline thought something must have happened between them. So she tried to employ tact and didn't push her luck with him. Matt had gone on a tour with Rebekah, whose guts Caroline both hated and admired. She almost wished she had tagged along - she was that desperate and bored. And Klaus had...

"Caroline! Help me out here!" said Damon, interrupting her thoughts.

Caroline sighed and stood up. She turned to Elena. "Damon's right, Elena. You _have_ to come to college with us. I even helped Damon compel the girl at he dorm just so the three of us can bunk in together."

"See! Miss Mystic Falls agrees!" proclaimed Damon, engulfing Elena in yet another bear hug.

Caroline pretended to gag when Elena giggled like a schoolgirl. She looked at Caroline and said: "Thank you, Care. For everything." Caroline returned a smile at her friend. She was genuinely happy for her that she had found happiness even though she was convinced that Stefan was Elena's one true love, but... it was just too bad.

"I'll leave you two to your lovey-disgustingly-dovey whats-its you guys are doing," declared Caroline, standing up. "I'm just going to... run some errands."

"You sure you don't want to hang out?" asked Elena.

Damon wriggled his eyebrows at her, pretending to be serious, wringing yet another giggle from Elena.

Caroline rolled her eyes for the nth time. "Nope. Pretty sure not. I'll call you. Bye, Elena. Bye, Damon."

"Bye, Care," said Elena as Damon picked her up again and threw her down on the sofa Caroline had just vacated.

* * *

Caroline heaved a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the mansion. One could only take so much of such massive public display of affection. She hopped into her car and started the engine, driving autopilot to her house. She parked her car, turned off the ignition, closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat.

_"He's your first love. I intend to be your last... no matter how long it takes."_

Caroline kept replaying the scene over and over in her head. She raised her hand to touch her cheek at the spot where Klaus had placed a chaste kiss, after his momentous declaration of love. He had proceeded to walk her home and make another speech that was so out of character for him. Just like how it shocked Caroline beyond words that he was actually allowing Tyler to come back to Mystic Falls as her graduation present, he said. She sighed. He had taken all her preconceived notions of him as the enemy and turned them all around, little by little, bit by bit. It was easy to convince herself that she _did not_ harbour any positive thoughts of Klaus - until he had gone and prepared a speech so moving she couldn't deny the stirrings in her heart. But none of it mattered anyway, since he had made up his mind to go to New Orleans and let her "lead the life she deserved".

Caroline gave herself a mental kick. "Damn it, Caroline. You will not mope. You will not pine. You will focus on college and be an overachiever in _everything_ you do!" She took a deep breath and nodded her head. She will make the most of her life by preparing for college - something she had confidence in. It was the most human thing and neurotic Caroline was good at doing human things. Almost.

She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and stepped out of the car. She was fumbling around in her bag for her house keys when she sensed someone standing behind her. She turned around and her mouth dropped open when she recognized the figure.

"Tyler?" whispered Caroline.

Time seemed to stop as the both of them stood there, eyeing each other intently. Finally, Caroline brain registered Tyler's return and she threw her arms around him. She couldn't believe it. After Klaus left Mystic Falls, she had called Tyler and left him a voicemail, telling him that it was safe to come back, that he could stop hiding. And she had left him several more voicemails, every day, for two whole weeks. But Tyler hadn't returned any of her calls. Yet here he was, standing in front of her... stiffly and not hugging her back. She stepped back hesitantly and searched his face for signs of happiness, but she could find none.

"How did you do it?" asked Tyler, a muscle in his cheek ticking furiously.

She blinked, confused.

"How did you get Klaus to allow me to come back to Mystic Falls? What did you have to promise him this time round? Another _date_?" Tyler spat out the last word.

"What?!" was the only thing Caroline could get out.

"How could you, Care? How could you trust him after all he's done?"

"But..." stammered Caroline. "It isn't what you think, Ty. Klaus... He saved Damon! Damon was... The veil was down, the hunters came back, and one of them shot Damon. The bullet was laced with werewolf venom. He was dying, Tyler! He would have died if Klaus..."

"_Klaus_ killed my mother, Care," interrupted Tyler. "_Klaus_ killed all my werewolf friends and turned them into hybrids. Then he killed all of them when I set them free of that bastard's sire bond! He killed Jenna, Elena.. And you! He tried to kill you - _twice_! Have you forgotten? God! How can you stand there and defend him to me? How can you be on his side after all that he's done?" Tyler's voice broke with anguish.

Caroline could only gape as she struggled to gather her thoughts.

_"Because you deserve to be happy. Because I want you to be happy. No, I _need_ you to be happy."_ It wasn't even a compromise. Klaus had given in to her demands completely.

"Tell me the truth, Care. Do you have feelings for him?" Tyler looked dead straight into her eyes.

"I... what? ... No... No! I don't have feelings for Klaus," retorted Caroline weakly. Her heart dropped as soon as the words left her lips. Even she herself couldn't hear the conviction in them.

Tyler shook his head, deflated. The fight seemed to leave his body. Caroline saw his shoulders heave as he took a deep breath. When he looked up, there was a burning intensity in them. She saw in his eyes a gulf between them that had widened impossibly by anger, sadness and disappointment. "I thought you were better than this, Care," he said, turning away quietly.

"Tyler, wait, no..."

But Tyler was gone in a flash.

* * *

Klaus sat back in his chair, to all appearances nonchalant and relaxed, enjoying the party. But he was fuming mad inside. He had spent the past month in New Orleans trying to establish his place in the hierarchy in a town _he_ had built. A town that had somehow became Marcel's town. Marcel, Marcel, Marcel. Klaus wanted to drive a stake through his devious heart, or snap his charming neck then rip said heart out, or bite him and wait for him to die of the werewolf venom. Or all of the above. But that useless witch Sophie had forbid him to do anything rash. _Forbid_. He almost snorted out loud. As if anyone could apply that word to him.

But here he was - not being rash, not being impulsive. Basically a puppet of that idiotic witch who couldn't even practice magic to boot. Curse Elijah and his twisted notion of power and family. Curse that wretched werewolf girl who was carrying his child. But most of all, curse that unfailingly charming guy who was, at the moment, belting out the last high note in that frigging song on the elevated platform in his immaculate and tastefully furnished mansion.

A resounding applause rippled through the crowd as Marcel waved to everyone. Grinning, he announced into his mike: "Thank you._ Thank you_." Pretending to take an imaginary fedora off his head and sweeping his arm in a dramatic arc before bending down into a low bow. "Now, let the party begin!" The crowd cheered and clapped again. "If it hasn't already!"

Klaus watched as Marcel concluded his little show. People seemed to worship him. Klaus had seen how his lackeys and the girls that hung around him looked at him in adoration. It was a strange thought to grapple with. He had never had that kind of rapport with the people around him. Not even with his hybrids...

Klaus managed to plaster a smile on his face and prevent himself from rolling his eyes as he watched Marcel saunter his way through the crowd, stopping every few seconds to give someone a high five like those pesky celebrities of this time.

"Klaus! How do you find the entertainment tonight?" asked Marcel.

"It's adequate." answered Klaus non-committally.

"Come this way. I'm going to introduce you to the 'sheriff' in our little gang. He's the one who polices the use of magic in this town."

Klaus raised his eyebrows, doubtful.

"There he is. The man of the moment, Tom, if not for whom, we would not have the witching community on their knees." declared Marcel, waving his arm at a tall and well-built guy who looked to be in his mid-30s.

Tom held out his hand and Klaus looked down at it for a moment, before giving a slight nod as acknowledgement. Marcel then made a show of spotting someone in familiar at the opposite end of the room and said: "Well, I'll leave you two to get acquainted then."

Klaus was immediately suspicious. It had been this way for the past five parties they've been to. Marcel would always "introduce" Klaus to someone important in the hierarchy then slip away quietly. Klaus was sure that something fishy was going on when the "VIPs" held on to him, guiding him away into this room or another, pretending to want to share some important information with him to keep up the charade. He had caught on the first time but by the time he managed to extract himself politely - curse the witch and her damn rules again - Marcel would be long gone.

This time, Klaus was not going to let him get away. As he moved to follow Marcel, Tom grabbed on to his arm. Klaus turned slowly and cast a glance at the hand hindering his progress and raised his eyes to fix the guy with a death stare. "Touch me again, and it will be the last thing you will do in your sorry life."

Tom let go of Klaus's arms and held out his hands in mock surrender. But the gesture had cost Klaus a few precious seconds. When he turned away from the imbecile, Marcel was already gone.

* * *

Running out onto the streets, Klaus took his cellphone out and dialed Elijah's number.

"He just slipped out. I lost him. Because one of his lackeys was pawing at me! Can't you get the witch to do a tracking spell or something on him? We can't lose him again! Damn it!" swore Klaus, venting his frustration by kicking at the empty can of soda which happened to be lying in his way.

* * *

"Bid your time carefully, Niklaus. Marcel will be suspicious after your little episode with his lackey tonight - if he isn't already," chided Elijah. They were standing in the kitchen of the new Mikaelson household which Elijah had acquired it after he got reassurance that Klaus was going to settle down in New Orleans.

"Well, if you and this useless witch," said Klaus, waving in Sophie's direction, "just let me kill him, we would stop him that much sooner."

She stood leaning against the kitchen island with her arms crossed. A few choice phrases to reply Klaus crossed her mind, but she chose to bite them back this time round. Klaus was right. She was useless without magic. Magic that she couldn't perform for Marcel would surely find out and then Anne's sacrifice would be for nothing.

"Be reasonable, Nik. We've already been through this. You don't know how things would go if we took that route. This town is too much under Marcel's influence. As of now, we're outnumbered. It wouldn't be wise to make any rash moves. We should hold out, get under his skin, suss out what he's planning before we show our hand," said Elijah.

At that moment, Klaus caught Hayley loitering behind Elijah.

"What? I was just coming down to get some water," she said indignantly.

Klaus let out a frustrated growl. He starred daggers at the insufferable girl who was the reason for all his problems. She had become the leverage that everyone was using against him, the reason he was no longer the puppeteer but the puppet. Struggling against the invisible strings that were suffocating him, he needed to lash out at someone. He wanted to attack someone to an inch of death, just so he could feel in control again. But his present company didn't make for good victims. So he settled for storming out of the house. He was trapped. And there was no way out - not if he wanted to rule this town. He had to bid his time, like Elijah advised him to. He huffed angrily. He wanted to pick a fight so bad. And although he could feel the cooling breeze walking out in the streets, it did nothing to soothe his anger.

* * *

Before he knew it, he had walked into a bar and sat himself at the counter. "Scotch, neat. Make it a double. And quick." Klaus ordered the bartender.

"Hey, if it isn't the $100 guy," he heard the bartender say. He looked up at the smiling blonde, surprised that her name came easily to him. "Camille. Cami."

Camille raised an eyebrow enquiringly at him.

"Klaus."

"I'll get you that Scotch, Klaus."

* * *

Elijah watched Klaus's retreating back and sighed inwardly. Getting Klaus to cooperate had never been a walk in the park. But recently. the difficulty level had hitched up a few notches. Klaus had always wanted to do things his way, like a spoilt kid with tons of insecurity issues. Every time things didn't go his way, he would lash out - and that usually included killing someone or stabbing one of his siblings.

"I apologise for Klaus's outburst," said Elijah, turning to face Sophie. "He's generally a disagreeable person. But even more so when things don't go his way."

"Yeah, I might have failed to notice that," replied Sophie sarcastically. She took a breath and stilled herself. She shouldn't vent her frustration on Elijah, who had been nothing short of polite and diplomatic since their first meeting. "I mean, it's fine. Sorry I can't help much. I'm gonna go back and see what else I can dig up that I haven't already. And I'll see what I can do without resorting to magic."

"Thank you. I will see you out."

When he returning to the kitchen, he saw Hayley with her knees drawn up to her chest, balancing on the barstool, a glass of milk in her hand.

"He hates me, you know. I swear I can sit there doing nothing and he would still be able to find fault with me. If it weren't for the abomination growing inside me, I wouldn't be here, " said Hayley defiantly. She stood up suddenly and pushed past Elijah to run to her room before he could see the tears gathering in her eyes.

Elijah downed his Scotch in one gulp. One could only have so much self control before one snapped. And for that moment, he was glad that he didn't have to entertain Rebekah's scowls and moods too.

He leaned back onto the wall and closed his eyes. He wondered how long this ordeal would last.

* * *

"Matt, look! Isn't this gorgeous?" said Rebekah. Twirling into the open space at Piazza San Marco with open arms, she created long dancing shadows from the purplish glow caused by the streetlamps and bright moonlight. It was almost 4am in Venice and the plaza was empty except for the both of them.

Matt smiled at her enthusiasm and followed her into the square. The grogginess he felt at being dragged out of his bed in the middle of the night by Rebekah forgotten in the beauty of the scene before him.

"Here, let me show you something,"she said pulling him in the direction of the St. Mark Basilica. Matt had recognised the building from the various guidebooks they browsed at the airport.

Following her lead, they moved as quietly as possible into the church, up numerous flights of stairs, finally finding themselves seated below one of the arches at the top of the Campanile di Marco.

"I used to come here to watch the sunrise after... after Klaus killed Alexander."

"The psychotic caveman ex-boyfriend with the bad hair?"

Rebekah laughed. "I had thought he was really in love with me," her voice bitter with introspect. "If Nik didn't have werewolf blood in him... All of us would have... Nik was so angry after..." she trailed off.

"So you came here to hide from him?"

"Sort of. The hunter's curse drove him mad. It was all my fault. At times when I couldn't take it, I would come here and sit and watch the sunrise. It gave me hope, somehow. Reassured me that the world would keep spinning despite the setbacks you encounter in life. To not be afraid to take that leap of faith to try something new. That there will always be a chance to right the wrongs. That there will always be time to make mistakes and learn from them as long as you're alive. And I was immortal, Matt." She paused and sniffed. "Quite ironic, isn't it, that I, a creature who belonged to the night would see the light as hope. The light that could easily burn me to ashes if not for this flimsy ring I wear."

Matt put his arm around her in silence. Rebekah scooted closer to him, and she thought she saw a familiar silhouette standing at the end of the square, looking in their direction before sulking into an alley. But he was gone in a blink. The nagging feeling was soon forgotten as she watched the first dapples pinkish sun rays peek out from the horizon.

* * *

The church bell chimed five times. In unison, two silhouettes stepped toward each other in the dark, nameless alley which smelled of vomit, alcohol and garbage. They were of a similar lean and muscular build and each exuded a confidence and lethal air.

"Have you gotten what we need?" asked the taller of the two.

"Almost there." replied the other shadow.

"We're running out of time. And the boss is getting tired of waiting."

"I know the deadline. We're still far from it. Patience, my friend, is a virtue."

"Try telling that to him," scoffed the first figure. "Still, he wanted to convey his message: You will get him what he wants, then you will get what you want."

"Deal still stands."

"Deal still stands."

Then they each took a step back and turned to walk away.

* * *

**A/N: Everytime I want to type Caroline I end up getting three letters "Kla" out first. Must be a Freudian slip. I also ship Wallijah - Elijah and any wall that he happens to be leaning against.**

**What do you think? Good/bad/meh? Too much/little internal dialogue? Let me know! I have the skeleton of the story out, but no buffer because I'm too anxious to get this out first. I'll try my best to update the next chapter as soon as possible. Fingers crossed it's this weekend. **

**PS: ****Sorry I love eye rolls so much.**

******PPS: We're going to check in on the other beloved characters in the next update!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I really wanted to get this out over the weekend, but I got a bit stuck with the timelines and stuff. This is really my first time attempting writing such a longish story, and fanfic at that. **

**Thanks for the follows and the 2 reviews (although Abigail Mikaelson just wrote: WTF is Wallijah - it was a short running joke I saw Julie Plec retweeting someone about how she was going to ship Elijah and any wall he's leaning against. You've got to admit though, that he looks really good leaning against walls! So sorry, just a little lame fangirl moment on my part.)! **

**Anyway, hope this longer chapter makes up for the late update and hope you'll enjoy it!**

* * *

A bell chimed as the doors of a nondescript cafe opened to admit its first customer of the day. Two streets down, a handful of tourists armed with their ubiquitous smartphones milled around a landmark, trying to capture the famous crossroads and its architecture before the relentless heat of the summer sun could send them scurrying into the air-conditioned malls for shelter. A bus drew to a stop beyond the crossroads and a throng of passengers alighted. Still groggy from the overnight trip, they moved sluggishly to unload their luggage. Among them was a slender figure with an overnight bag slung over her dainty shoulders. Her knees buckled slightly when she made her way across the street. Her destination was a short drive away, but she was going to have to walk all the way, having spent her last cent on the interstate bus ticket. She steeled herself against the wave of nausea that threatened to take over, determined to get to the address scribbled on a piece of worn paper clutched tightly in her left fist by today.

* * *

He was trekking through the woods looking for her but he couldn't risk calling out her name. The others were here, too. The consequences of them reaching her before him was unimaginable. Suddenly, he heard a branch snap. He turned his head in the direction of the sound only to see a blur moving towards him. The next thing he knew, he was hauled up against a tree and its bark was cutting into his back.

"Where is she?" a deep voice demanded.

He let out a grunt when the grip on him relaxed only to push him back against the tree.

"Jer. Jeremy!"

He could hear her voice in the distance.

"Jeremy, wake up!"

His eyes flew open. The woods, the man, it was only a nightmare. But the voice... "Bonnie!" he gasped at the girl seated on the side of his bed.

Bonnie gave him a quick smile. "Jer, you have to warn them. Elena and the rest."

"What do you mean?"

"It's time. You have to tell Elena about me. They need to know."

Jeremy nodded. "What do I have to warn them about?"

Bonnie looked down and hesitated. "I'm not sure, but..."

"Hey, little Gilbert." Damon drawled from the doorway. "Sweet dreams about your witchy girlfriend?" he teased.

Jeremy looked at Bonnie and she nodded her head. He turned back to Damon and said: "Damon, please get Elena and Caroline. There's something important I have to tell them."

* * *

"How could you hide this from us, Jer?" sobbed Elena. Damon had his arm around her and was squeezing her shoulder. For the first time in weeks, his face was devoid of joy and his usual wit. Caroline was hunched over in her seat, holding her head in her hands, crying silently.

Jeremy grimaced. He looked at Bonnie, his expression sombre.

"Tell them I'm sorry, Jer. I was the one who asked you to keep it from them. You shouldn't have to shoulder all the blame," said Bonnie.

"No. It's all my fault. You died trying to revive me. You gave up your life for mine."

"Wait! What? You can see Bonnie? She's here right now?" asked Elena, her eyes searching the space beside Jeremy. Damon and Caroline did the same, as if they would be able to see their friend by sheer willpower.

"She's here, beside me. And she wants us to be prepared," confirmed Jeremy.

"For what?" asked Caroline. The shock of Bonnie's death hadn't worn off, but the fact that she was here with them, despite them not being able to see her, lessened the impact of the news somewhat. Elena and Damon seemed to agree as they were both also looking at Jeremy with rapt attention.

Jeremy looked to Bonnie, willing her to continue.

"I'm not sure exactly what is going to happen, but I can feel it in my gut that it's something bad. Being on the other side, I've heard rumours that someone is recruiting, gathering allies, as if preparing for a war," said Bonnie to Jeremy. "But it's strange. I still don't understand how this other side works. I mean, I can see my grams, but that's all. Grams isn't sure either. She told me that she has communicated with other witches, but it's all one-way. She can hear them, but they can't hear her. She told me that this side is controlled by spirits, which I would take to mean us. But we don't have any control at all. We can't do magic, and I've tried searching for Alaric and the others, even Kol, but I haven't run into any of them at all. Most days, we just float around aimlessly. But we know that Qetsiyah created this realm as a purgatory for supernatural beings. I can only assume that she's the one who controls the ins and outs of this side, and that anything that happens here is never coincidental, but to further Qetsiyah's plans. But now that Silas is out of the equation, we can only make wild guesses as to what she wants to do."

Bonnie waited for Jeremy to convey her words to the others before continuing. "But the most important thing now is to come up with a cover story for me and you. I know you haven't announced your resurrection yet. But you can't hide in this house forever. And I think I have an idea. We can tell people you ran away from home the night the house burned down. You were never in it. And you contacted me after graduation so I went to look for you. We were driving back when our car ran off the ravine. You managed to get out but I went down with the car."

"What if they send divers down to look for the car and your body?" asked Jeremy.

"They won't find it. The ravine is too deep, and with your account, they would call off the search quickly and no one would be wiser."

It was weird, the rationality of the proposed plan. But no one could come up with a better idea considering the recent emotional trauma, so they agreed to put it into action the next day. When Jeremy turned around, Bonnie was gone. The four of them sat there, each consumed in their own grief. After an indefinite duration of silence, the doorbell rang, jarring them out of their brooding moods.

"I'll get it," volunteered Caroline, stepping away from the group. She looked through the peephole and was surprised to see a familiar figure. Throwing open the door, she flew into his arms. "Stefan!"

"Hey to you, too," he replied with a smile.

Caroline drew back and punched his arm playfully. "Where have you been? Why didn't you return my calls and voicemails?" she chided.

"I've been... around. How's everything?" he asked.

Caroline's face fell as quickly as her spirits had lifted when she saw her friend. "Come in, we need to fill you in," she sighed.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Silas's body is at the bottom of the ravine. What if one of the divers chanced upon it and dragged it up?" questioned Stefan.

"But it seems like the most feasible idea now, unless you can think of a better one," answered Damon. His elation was eclipsed by shock at seeing his brother walk through the door, when presumably, he had said that he wanted out from this messy three-way relationship for good. Damon wanted an explanation for his sudden return but acknowledged that there were more pressing matters on hand.

"How about leaving the car in the woods and saying it's an animal attack?" suggested Caroline, trying to diffuse the obvious hint of awkwardness in the air as the two brothers stared at each other wordlessly.

"There's no body," said Jeremy.

"Say the animals finished it off," said Stefan.

"Then where do we get Bonnie's blood to make the blood trail look convincing enough?" asked Damon, standing up in agitation as he sensed that this conversation was doing nothing to ease Elena's pain.

"Then burn down another house," challenged Stefan.

"Which one? The one you're standing in?" interrupted Damon. "We're running low on real estate, if you haven't noticed."

"Okay, everyone. Just stop," said Elena, positioning herself between them, holding up her hands. "Maybe there is another way. But we're going ahead as planned," she addressed Stefan. "Like Bonnie said, we should get this out of the way so we have time to prepare ourselves for whatever Qetsiyah is planning on the other side."

Stefan's head snapped towards Elena at her words. "What is Qetsiyah planning exactly?"

"We don't know. But we sure as hell aren't going to sit and wait in line like chickens in the slaughterhouse pen."

Caroline stood up and tugged on Stefan's sleeve. When he looked over at her, she shook her head, indicating that the discussion was over.

"We'll go get the necessary things ready for tomorrow then," she said to Elena, Damon and Jeremy, pulling Stefan away. He conceded silently and followed her lead. When they stepped out of the house, Stefan spoke up.

"You should call Klaus and get him here, you know?" he said.

"Klaus?"

"Yeah. I mean, you guys are going into this blind, with only Bonnie's vague warning. A thousand-year-old hybrid should come in handy during a fight, don't you think?"

* * *

Streaks of sunlight fought their way into the heavily curtained room and landed on the head of the four poster bed. Hayley groaned and tossed around, trying to avoid them. She had been imprisoned in the Mikaelson household for six whole weeks. Elijah had installed her in a cosy and tastefully furnished room which looked at least 10 times more expensive than the ones she had seen in Tyler's house. He had then proceeded to compel her to stay inside the house. His rationale was that it was too dangerous to wander around, given her delicate condition. The impeccably polite vampire had even barred all means of communication with the outside world, afraid that she would call for help or let slip her condition to someone. And he had piled her with tons of DVDs of history documentaries and stuffy books "to keep her entertained".

"Who knows, you might even learn something useful or interesting," he called over his shoulder. Her eyes bored into his back, wishing she had a stake to drive through him and ruin his perfectly tailored suit.

Instead of taking him up on his offer, she had cooped herself up in her room to protest, and only left it when both Elijah and Klaus were out, which wasn't very often. But three times a day, without fail, Elijah would bring her meals and leave it outside her door. She tried to ignore the wonderful smells that wafted into her room, but eventually caved in to hunger. This carried on for two weeks before boredom won over stubbornness and she ventured out of her room, following the enticing aroma of freshly made pancakes into the kitchen only to see Elijah standing at the stove.

"I'm glad that you've finally decided to stop eating in your room," he said without turning to look at her.

"You've been cooking my meals?" she said incredulously.

"It would appear to be so, my dear, seeing that there's no one in the house except the three of us, and we both know how Niklaus is like."

Dumbfounded, she sat down at the kitchen island and watched as he served her pancakes deftly. She was uncomfortable under Elijah's scrutiny while she ate, but her pride served her well and allowed her to finish her meal in silence. Since then, she had taken to eating in the kitchen while Elijah tried to make small talk. She was careful not to reveal too much of her history, not that there was anything worth mentioning, but she found herself looking forward to these talks, having been deprived of human contact for so long.

Now, stirring awake and looking at the clock, she realised she was late for breakfast. She shook off the sleepiness and hurried to the bathroom to wash up. Then she pulled on a T-shirt and shorts and gave her dark tresses a few quick brushes before hurrying down into the kitchen.

"Good morning. Sorry I'm late," she said as she noticed that Elijah had already laid out the breakfast. Her mouth watered at the sight of the bacon strips, sunny side ups and grilled tomatoes.

"I hope you've had a good night's sleep," he said.

Recalling her outburst last night, Hayley felt her face heating up in embarrassment. "I'm sorry about..."

"Please, do not apologise," he interrupted. "I should be the one apologising on Niklaus's behalf. He was frustrated. You weren't the only one who got caught in the line of fire."

She settled for a nod, not knowing what else to say. The truth was, she was scared to death of Klaus. She was sure that when his moods struck, anyone who got in the way was killed. Elijah was the only one who could keep him in check - barely. So she sought to avoid the temperamental hybrid as much as possible. The fact that he saw her as the cause of all his problems further enforced her decision.

"So is he... did he return last night?"

"Yes, he did. After indulging himself silly. I count myself fortunate that I managed to save the lamp that he knocked down in his drunken stupor while making his way back to his room. And from the lack of blood on his clothes, I heaved a sigh of relief that he failed to kill anyone in anger."

Hayley half-choked on her eggs at Elijah's detached assessment of the situation and looked up to see him smiling at her. A question crossed her mind, but before it could materialise into a coherent one, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it. You stay and finish your breakfast," ordered Elijah.

* * *

She stood at the top step of the stairs to the mansion and raised a heavy hand to press the doorbell. Her overnight bag was on the floor beside her and she felt her body sway a little as the glaring sun rays assaulted her eyes. She tried to run through the speech she had carefully prepared over the past month but her head spun at the exertion and she thought she saw the heavy oak door open before oblivion overtook her senses.

* * *

Elijah was surprised to hear the doorbell ring. They haven't had any callers since they moved in. Looking into the peephole, he saw an all-too-familiar figure. His ears registered a regular heartbeat and shallow breaths. So, Elena had taken the cure. No, wait... his heart was ringing in confusion before his mind did. And he swung open the door just in time to catch her falling body. Then he saw the bracelet encircling her wrists and whispered in shock. "Katerina."

* * *

Katherine's long, dark lashes fluttered as she roused. Her eyebrows snapped together when she tried to recall what had happened but her brain buzzed painfully. It felt as if her skull had been invaded by millions of ants which were now turning it into their hive. Finally, her eyes adjusted to the soothing lighting in the room and she realised she was lying in a huge and comfortable bed. The mattress sloped down a little at her hips, weighed down by another figure. Slowly, she raised her eyes to his face.

"Katerina," he said, his gentle voice full of questions.

Katherine felt the blood rushing to her face and she tore her eyes away from his magnetic gaze. She bent her head and closed her eyes to prevent the tears that were welling up in them from falling. But she couldn't stop her bottom lip from quivering as she recalled the humiliation she had suffered in the past month.

After she was force-fed the cure, she had woken up in one of the rooms in the Salvatore mansion and found her doppelgänger looking at her with a mixture of irony and pity.

"You! What have you done?!" she screamed hysterically, leaping out of the bed with outstretched hands. But she had barely taken two steps towards Elena when she flew back against the wall after toppling a coat stand, with Elena's hand around her neck. She gasped for air and felt her feet lifted off the ground.

"You've lost, Katherine," said Elena. "Now you know how it feels like to be powerless. To feel the fragility of human life. To fear that the same thing that you did to others can now be applied to you. How do you like it now, huh?" added Elena, tightening her grip on her neck just enough to make her choke.

"There, there, my dear. You wouldn't want to deprive Miss Pierce the fun of living out her short and sweet human life, would you?" Damon rebuked mockingly.

Elena dropped Katherine and she fell to the floor, coughing and massaging her neck. She glared at the couple and turned her head to the fallen coat stand.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you. Without vampire reflexes and all the..." said Damon, waving his hands in the air, "you know."

Katherine had waited until the house was still before making her way quietly out. There was no way she was going to stay there and let them crush her pride more than they already had. She had enough money stashed away in banks all over the world whether she chose to hide or live in luxury while she figured out a way to restore her immortality. It sounded like a good plan until she realised that she didn't have any ID on her and she couldn't compel her way into any of the banks to reach her deposit boxes.

For the first time in decades, the hopelessness creeped over her like the talons of the evil witch in cartoons, grazing her skin softly, sending shivers of fear through her entire being. Then her survival instincts kicked in and she managed to pull herself together to do what she needed to find the one person whom she believed still cared about her, who could protect her.

"Katerina... you're running a fever. You have to drink up and get plenty of rest," coaxed Elijah, taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilting her face to look at him. His heart broke at the sight of the streaks on her beautiful face caused by tears which have managed to escape her doleful eyes. Gently, he touched his thumb pad to the latest wayward tear and stopped its journey. She raised her glistening eyes to his and felt the distress roll off her shoulders. He leaned forward to scoop her into his arms when he heard the door open.

"Well, well, if it isn't the _original_ doppelgänger herself," said an amused Klaus.

Katherine's head jerked up at the sound of his voice and she scooted back against the bed's headboard, her eyes wide with terror.

Elijah closed his eyes for a brief moment, composing himself and said to her, "I won't let him hurt you, I promise." He stood up from the bed and led his brother out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"Please, Niklaus. Stop terrorising her. She's scared stiff enough, as it is already," said Elijah.

"Me? Terrorise the girl who crossed me more than half a century ago and has been running from me since? Terrorise the girl who stole the cure from me when I most needed it to appease a immortal being who was messing with my mind? Never!" said Klaus with a humourless laugh.

"Please, brother. I am asking this favour from you," pressed Elijah.

Klaus raised his eyebrows. "Fine. Go comfort your little backstabber while I think of a way to get my revenge on her."

"Niklaus," warned Elijah.

"Enjoy whatever time you have left with her then." Klaus turned on his heel and left.

* * *

For the second night in a row, Klaus found himself at the bar where Camille bartended. She gave him a smile when he approached the stool and turned to pour him a drink as he sat himself down.

"Double Scotch. Neat and quick," she teased.

Klaus smiled and raised his glass in thanks.

"I see you're in a better mood tonight," said Camille.

"I see you're very observant," replied Klaus.

"All part of the job."

For the good part of the night, Klaus watched as people came and went, some joyfully drunk, some sombre. A few of the patrons tried to hit on the blonde bartender but she handled herself professionally and never got into any altercations with any of them. Watching her work reminded him of another blonde he knew. Physical appearance aside, he thought that the two of them couldn't be any more different although they had the same knack for dishing out the truth, raw and unadulterated. Caroline had fight in her, amplified by her neurotic tendencies, and a light that he admired and revered, even while he wished she could accept and embrace the darkness in herself - and in the process, learn how to truly live her immortal life to the fullest. On the other hand, he hadn't known Camille for that long, but through the conversations they had, he could sense a quiet strength of maturity belied by her youthful looks.

Lost in his contemplations, he hardly noticed that the crowd had thinned and Camille was already packing up.

"We're closing, Klaus. Best to get home and get some sleep. Another day, another battle," she chirped.

Klaus tilted his head at her choice of words. "'It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles', Cami. Good night," he said.

"Good night, Buddha."

* * *

Klaus stepped out of the bar and started home. He just crossed the street when he heard loud jeers from the backdoor of the bar. His vampire hearing picked up some more heckling and Cami's determined voice saying "I'm not interested. Please stay away from me or I will get nasty."

He smiled and the next second, he was standing in the alleyway. "I think the lady asked you to leave her alone."

The street thugs turned at his voice. There were three of them, trying to corner her against a wall. He walked menacingly towards them and the youngest-looking one rushed at him. Klaus stepped sideways and reached out his hand just in time to catch the guy's arm, twisting and pulling it up. The thug screamed out in pain and when Klaus let go, he dropped to the floor, cradling his arm and backing away hurriedly. The other two guys looked at each other, then at Klaus, weighing their odds.

"Come on, have a go, won't you," provoked Klaus. "I've been wanting to hit someone for the longest time."

He moved towards them and they caught the reflection of the streetlight in his eyes. The evil glint persuaded them against making any foolish moves and they dashed warily away from Klaus, keeping their backs against the wall as they made their way past him. Helping their friend up, they ran down out of the alley without a backward glance.

"Thanks, although I could have handled it myself," said Camille.

"You would deny a man his chance to be chivalrous?" asked Klaus, placing his hand on his chest, pretending to be wounded.

Camille laughed. "Thanks," she repeated.

"I think I'd better walk you home," offered Klaus.

"It's fine, really. I'm just four blocks away."

At Klaus's pointed look, she smiled and said. "_Thanks_."

* * *

Camille hesitated at the doorstep of the building. Turning to Klaus, she said: "Thanks for walking me home. You didn't have to."

"That's the fourth time you've said it tonight. You're very welcome," answered Klaus with a smile.

"Um.. Look, do you want to... maybe come up for a coffee?" asked Camille, gathering up her courage.

"I would love to. Thanks." Anything to delay going home and watching that idiot brother of mine fawn over that wretched doppelgänger, he thought.

They entered her apartment, and she stepped into the kitchen to brew some coffee. "Make yourself comfortable," she called. Klaus sat down at the worn sofa and cast a look around the living room. It was apparent that the girl was a neat freak. She had enough books to make up a small library, but all of them were packed into floor-to-ceiling shelves against an entire wall, with the exception of a medium-sized gap in the shelves taken up by a flat-screen TV. He looked at the titles on the shelves and was impressed at the range of reading material she had accumulated, from Greek anthologies to Chekov, and history of evolution theories to Eliza Haywood, and, of course, Freud and Austin.

Looking down, he saw a few books stacked on top of one another on the coffee table. A piece of paper jutted out from the topmost one. Picking it up, Klaus read the title: _The Book of Symbols: Reflections on Archetypal Images_. He leafed to the page marked by the paper and froze when he saw what was drawn on it. He had seen this image on a girl's shoulder just a few months ago. A crescent moon surrounded by what seemed like a fog.

* * *

**A/N: Did anyone guess that the girl in the opening paragraph was Katherine? What's your favourite part? I enjoyed writing each and every interaction between the characters but if I had to choose, I would pick Katherine/Elijah's part. Sorry if this chapter had a little too much backstory. I just wanted to tie up some loose ends before proceeding. I have OCD like that. Any theories as to what Katherine had to do to locate Elijah? I already have one - I may make it into a one-shot and post it under my _Graduation _story. Let me know what you think!**

***edit - Stefan is still Silas, just in case. Explains the worry he has over divers going into the ravine. **


	3. Chapter 3

Klaus was looking down at the piece of paper with the symbol, trying to connect the dots when Camille emerged from the kitchen with two steaming hot cups of coffee. "Sugar?" she asked, jolting him back to the present.

"How did you get this?" He demanded.

Her eyes dropped to the book he was holding and he saw pain flash through her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice. How did you come across this symbol?" He asked again, more gently.

She hesitated for a moment before seating down beside him as he scooted over. Placing the coffee on the table, she reached for the book, cradled it in her hands, and closed her eyes. When she opened them, they were bright with unshed tears.

"On the person who murdered my mother," she said with an unwavering voice.

Silence greeted her sentence and it was a while before Klaus registered the seriousness of her announcement.

"I'm sorry about your mother," he said sincerely. Boy, was he getting soft, he thought, as an image of another blonde surfaced in his mind, contemptuously saying _"You don't connect with people, because you don't even try to understand them"_.

Camille shrugged and he saw the barrier of courage and strength slip back up.

"Care to share? I'm a good listener," he said.

Her eyes took on a faraway look as she recollected her story.

_"Bye, guys! See you tomorrow in class," she said, hopping off the truck and slamming the door shut. It was 3am in the morning and her new friends from college had just dropped her off at her apartment building after their midnight movie date. Her mum had shelled out every last cent of her savings for them to make the move into a dingy and musty two-bedroom flat to be closer to her new school despite her protests. And Camille was extremely grateful for the sacrifices she had made, bringing her up single-handedly. Between them, and some strategic trips to garage sales and the local home improvement shop, the gloomy and stale space finally became a cheery home._

_Readjusting her bag's strap on her shoulder, she turned to walk up the stairs. Two landings from her floor, she heard sounds of struggles and rushed up to see her front door slightly ajar. Light was streaming through the gap and shadows were flying across it. Her mother's scream pierced the air and before she could register what was happening, the door flew open and two burly men in tank tops and khaki-coloured military pants barreled out of it, pushing her to the ground. The nondescript black baseball caps they were wearing cast shadows which hid their faces from view and prevented her from ever identifying them. She looked past the open door to see her mum lying beyond the coffee table, with pieces of glass from the broken tabletop littered around her. Her eyes were open, pleading and anguished that her beloved daughter had to see their hours of hard work wrecked; that she was lying there helplessly, blood gushing out from her neck, barely stemmed by the piece of broken glass causing of the fatal wound; that she was rapidly losing consciousness while the men responsible for everything had just knocked her daughter to the ground..._

_The sight of her dying mother caused adrenaline to rush through Camille and she pushed to her feet. Like a demon possessed, she launched herself at one of the men making their escape down the stairway. Flinging her arms around his thick neck, she started clawing at his face and body - anywhere she could get her hands on. The man growled in annoyance and tried to shake her off by twisting his body side to side. She slipped down his back a little and saw the symbol - the crescent moon surrounded by clouds - etched onto the back of his right shoulder. And that was the last and only discriminable feature she saw before the man reached back and grabbed her hair and arm, and flung her against the wall where she knocked her head and blacked out._

_The next thing she remembered was waking up in the hospital to find two policemen hovering over her, looking apologetic as they broke the news to her before proceeding to take her statement. The only lead in the case was the symbol she saw, which the police doubted was a gang symbol, although gang crimes were common in her neighbourhood. Soon, the trail went cold and so did the case._

"That's why I took up karate," she said with a humourless laugh. "To feel that illusion of hope that when I eventually find them, I'll have the means of beating them into a pulp."

Klaus looked around at the apartment, trying to picture the violence that she witnessed that fateful night and was shocked at the depth of sympathy he felt for this slip of a girl. Watching her gather her emotions carefully back, he was at a loss as to what else he could say. All he could come up with was "You're very brave to have overcome that."

Camille's response was a bitter smile. "You can never overcome grief, Klaus. All you can do is to sit by helplessly and watch it tear you up inside. In the end, it's how strong a front you can put up for people while you pick up the pieces and attempt to rebuild your life all over again."

* * *

Katherine stood by the window, watching the dawn of a new day, fiddling with her daylight bracelet, worn more out of habit than need now. It represented the only constant in her life for the past few centuries and was a reminder of a happier time with people whom she could call friends, despite being on the run from Klaus. She sighed and picked up her bag. For the umpteenth time in that day, tears streamed down her face, unbidden, as she recalled her previous conversation with Elijah.

"You'll be fine, Katerina," said Elijah, returning to her side after stepping out with Klaus. He reached for a glass of water and a set of pills placed on the bedside table and held them out for her.

"I won't," she shouted, her hoarse voice reflecting the grating pain in her throat. She brushed his hand aside, causing the pills to scatter "Can't you see, Elijah? Klaus wants me dead. And I don't stand a chance against him!"

"Niklaus won't hurt you, you have my word."

"Then I'll become his walking blood bag for him to create his hybrid minions, like I was meant to five hundred years ago. And one day, one of them will lose control and snap my neck or drain me. Or one of his enemies will kill me out of spite!"

"I won't let him or anyone else kill you," reassured Elijah.

"I'm human. Even the flu can kill me," she said choking out a sob.

She saw Elijah raise an eyebrow amusingly and threw him a look angry but confused look.

"Sorry, I'm just amazed at how you manage to sound disdainful even while you're hysterical," he said, barely containing his smile. In one swift movement, he reached for her and crushed her to his chest in firm hug. "I've never seen you this way before, but it's strangely endearing," he whispered into her hair.

She sighed against him and snuggled closer, taking in the pleasant smell of food that has pervaded his shirt and her stomach growled loudly, like an alarm reminding her of her body's needs. She tensed up and pushed back, her eyes beseeching. "You have to turn me, Elijah. We can... run away together. Lead the simple life we've always ..."

Her words wiped the smile off his face and his arms dropped to his side as he took a step back. His eyes were cast down as he whispered: "Is that all I am to you? A means to immortality?"

Katherine's eyes widened at his assumption. "No, Elijah. I just... It's just..."

She tried to explain herself but the fever was hindering her from thinking straight. Her heart dropped under Elijah's stare and she could see the disappointment and hurt in his eyes as he stood up and left the room without another word. And like a weakling, she had crawled into bed and cried herself silly, eventually drifting into a restless sleep.

"What were you thinking?" she said to herself, looking around the room. Out of curiosity, she walked to the wardrobe and slid the door open. Inside hung a neat row of long-sleeved shirts, perfectly aligned and arranged by colour, from light to dark. She ran her fingers across them and smiled, the realisation that Elijah had put her in his room making her heart soar a little. But she was leaving. She had made a wrong choice in coming here, thinking that seeing Elijah would fix everything that had happened in her sad thirty-three days of human life. It had taken her that long to come to her senses. She was Katerina Petrova, Katherine Pierce. She was resilient, whether human or vampire. And she would get well on her own, even if she had to learn all the mundane human stuff all over again.

Making up her mind, she dropped her bag on the bed and walked over to the huge oak desk. She picked up a paper and pen and penned her letter. When she finished writing, she folded it up neatly and slipped it into a heavy envelope and placed it under a stack of papers in the topmost drawer of the desk. He'll have to work for it, she though as she went into the adjoining bathroom, scrubbed her face free from the tear stains. She gathered her bag and stepped out of the room quietly, half-wishing Elijah would pop out of the shadows and stop her. But the house was quiet as she made her way down the stairs. The steps barely made a creak but just as she was reaching out for the doorknob, she heard a voice.

"Katherine?"

She spun round to find a familiar face. "Hayley?"

"I see there's no need for me to introduce you two," Elijah's voice floated over from the top of the stairs before he appeared.

Hayley's surprise gave way to anger as she recalled the vampire Katherine sent to kill her. "You sent someone to kill me!" she said, making her way menacingly to her.

"That is enough, Hayley," said Elijah, planting himself firmly between the two angry brunettes.

"Don't worry about it. I was just leaving."

Elijah head snapped to Katherine at her announcement. "You're leaving?"

"Wouldn't want to impose. Gotta get a head start against Klaus. Short and sad human life to lead, you know?" she said, turning on her heels. She kept walking even when she heard Elijah call her name softly in warning, and two seconds later, she was face to face with him.

His eyes bore into hers and he commanded: "You will not leave this house."

"It's not going to work. I'm on vervain," said Katherine weakly.

"No, you're not. I checked. And the time you spent here is enough for any vervain you had to leave your system," said Elijah with a smirk. "And you," he turned to Hayley, "will behave cordially to Katerina, and not impose any bodily harm on her."

"Oh, this is going to be fun," said Katherine sarcastically, before storming back up the stairs into Elijah's room.

* * *

Elena paced to and fro Jeremy's room, stopping once every few paces to cast worried glances at her brother who had come back from the dead because of the sacrifice of her best friend.

"I'm really fine, Elena. And you're wearing out Damon's carpet," said Jeremy, looking up from the book he was reading. He had managed to find an interesting book on the history of Mystic Falls in the Salvatore house that he had never come across in the libraries before.

"Are you sure? Did they ask you awkward questions? Are they suspicious of the story we came up with? I mean, now that I think of it, it's quite a flimsy excuse," said Elena anxiously.

"I'm sure I'm the Number One suspect if they can prove it's foul play, but we made sure that wouldn't happen, right." He put down the book and walked over to his sister. "Hey," he said, grasping her shoulders firmly, "it's going to be fine. Stop worrying, okay?"

Elena was not convinced, but she nodded her head. She looked at her brother and saw the unspoken request in his eyes. "I'll be downstairs. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Thanks," he said, giving her a hug.

* * *

Damon was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her.

"He's right, you know? You worry too much," he said, pressing a kiss to Elena's forehead before enveloping her in a hug. "Give him some more space. He needs it to figure things out by himself."

"Well, aren't you the great psychologist," she teased.

"I haven't lived over a century and a half to accumulate zero experience in reading human behaviour."

He steered her into the living room and frowned at the blonde who was sitting in an armchair, bent over a pile of photos.

"Where's Stefan?" he demanded.

Caroline looked up and shrugged. "He said he was leaving. He didn't say where. Guess he felt he couldn't accept things as readily as he thought he could." She caught the look between the two lovebirds and added: "Okay, I was just saying, not judging!" She paused for a long moment as Elena and Damon made their way towards her. She wanted to keep the question to herself, but she thought she would just voice it out despite the awkwardness. "Am I the only one who thinks Stefan's acting strangely? I mean, the reluctance to help us with the plan, the endless misgivings - not that it's a perfect plan, but something is just... off! Urgh, and I can't figure it out."

Damon and Elena pondered her statement and Elena spoke first. "But he's not Ripper-Stefan, right?"

"Nope, definitely not. Missing the cocky bounce in his step, the indifference in his sarcasm... and the hair's not styled right," concluded Damon.

A long silence met his statement and the three of them lapsed into their own thoughts before Elena spoke up. "Maybe we should choose the photos first, for the memorial." And the air took a dip from a pensive energy to a despondent one.

* * *

Most of the divers had gone home for the day, but a handful of them remained to clock in one last dive before the sun set at the request of the Mayor. It was his daughter who had gone missing, after all. The five divers jumped in and three of them surfaced ten minutes later. One of them took off his regulator and shouted: "I think we got something! Pass me the cable hook and we'll try to drag it out."

They dived back in and pulled the heavy metal hook with them. Their fellow divers were waiting in the vicinity of the large object that they had located that looked to be a safe. They attached the hook and the steel cable around the turning handles of the safe and two of them surfaced to give the guy operating the crane the signal to pull the safe up.

The awful noise of metal rubbing against metal was muffled underwater so it was a shock when the door to the safe came loose under the pressure and flew out, hitting one of divers and making a long and deep gash at his side, from the hip to the shoulder blade. The scream that came out from him was literally drowned as it turned into a mass of bubbles. His team mates watched in shock as the blood flowing out of his body slowly mingled with the water, a red ballooning cloud. As the they dragged their injured friend up onto the surface to get medical help, the crimson cloud drifted into the open safe.

The blood caressed the lips of the desiccated body that had been trapped within, and made its way into its slightly opened mouth. The red liquid seemed to take on the form and function of the one thing it was symbolic of - life - for its presence reanimated the body as the eyes flew open and the limbs moved to propel it out of the water. The figure was a blur when it made it to land, making short work of the humans standing around the door of what was his metal prison just minutes ago. He drained every last drop of blood from them and was relishing in the fear and confusion pulsating through his food, all while satiating the hunger that had gnawed at him for too long. Dropping his last blood bag, he turned to wait on the shore for three more of them who were making their way out of the water, straight into his welcoming jaws. The corners of his mouth turned up when he realised how easy this was and he made a mental note to himself to go for something more challenging after this.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for the follows, favourites and reviews! Sorry this chapter was so crappy. I just had to get it out because I'm horrible.**

**I hope you didn't feel that Klaus's character was too OOC in the scene with Camille. For me, I think Caroline has really softened up him quite a bit, which is what makes me such a huge Klaroline fan. And I think Camille reminds him of Caroline a little, which is why he behaves more considerately towards her.**

**I think it's always easier to portray Camille and Hayley as antagonists in the story, but it gives them very little mileage and they become very flat characters. So as much as I don't like the both of them coming in to disrupt my Klaroline ship, I think they will help Klaus become a better guy who deserves Caroline's love. They need to go through much more, just between the both of them, disregarding their friends, before they can come together as one.**

***edit: Next up: Caroline and Klaus finally meet again!**


	4. Chapter 4

Caroline jabbed at her phone furiously and murmured through gritted teeth: "Come on, pick up." Pacing beside her car, she sighed as the call went to voicemail again. "Elena, where are you? We're so late for the orientation and if I find out you're dawdling somewhere with Damon again, I swear I will wring your skinny neck _plus_ kick his cocky ass. Urgh! Call me back ASAP, k?" Ending the call, she punched in Damon's number and held her phone to her ear while observing a group of freshmen moving somewhat uncertainly through the campus with their orientation leader. She was about to leave a scathing rant on Damon's voicemail when the back of her neck prickled and she heard a familiar voice drawl out her name.

She gasped and turned around to see him leaning against a tree. Even though his face was concealed by the shade cast by the elm's branches, she could practically feel his trademark intense gaze - the one that never failed to make her heart leap, the one that would render her momentarily speechless and the one that, until his run-in with Silas's mind tricks, she had consistently brushed off with a scornful scoff. She let her eyes rove from his brown-grey T-shirt, stretched over his broad shoulders which were concealed under a black peacoat, down to his rugged jeans and leather lace-up boots. Her gaze flew up when she saw the boots shift towards her and she felt herself deepening with colour at being caught ogling.

"Klaus? What are you doing here?" she asked a little haughtily to try to cover her embarrassment.

His smug look showed that he was seeing right through her futile act of nonchalance. "I couldn't miss your orientation for anything in the world, sweetheart. And I happen to have a little knowledge of the ins and outs of this lovely campus. Perhaps you would like me to show you around? I promise it'll be much more interesting than the one you'll get from that stuffy dolt with the flag," he said, offering his arm.

Caroline hesitated for a moment before ending the call to Damon. She cringed inwardly when she realised that her conversation with Klaus had probably gone into his voicemail. Ah well, at least he'll know where to find her if he and Elena got around to arriving here, she thought as she stashed her phone into the back pocket of her jeans.

"This had better be good," she said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at Klaus. Chuckling, he gestured towards a red brick building in the distance. "First stop, the library," he said and began his commentary about the history of the school, peppering it with backstories of successful alumni. Caroline followed half a step behind him, surprised at the depth of his knowledge and enamoured with the beauty of the architecture. Soon, they found themselves at the bottom of the cobbled steps to the building when she caught sight of a sign. When she saw what was written on it, she whirled round to face him. "I thought you said this was the library?" Caroline exclaimed accusingly. "The sign says 'Music Hall'!"

He threw up his palms and, without a hint of sheepishness, said: "OK, you caught me."

Caroline was stunned at his quick confession and torn between amusement and exasperation at his audacity. "What?"

"I mean, you're right. I was bluffing - somewhat - I wiki-ed some of it and made everything else up."

At his disarming grin, Caroline gave in to her bubbling laughter. "You're impossible."

"And you, my love, are beautiful and smart, as always," he said, taking a step towards her. The move caused an instant shift in the playful mood.

Caroline felt a shiver run down her spine at his words and stepped back to find her herself leaning against the gold-coloured plate that had given him away like a cornered prey. The sudden awareness that they were quite alone and out of earshot of anyone, struck her like a chilly wind as he leaned in closer, his palms against the sign on either side of her face. Her heartbeat quickened and she felt her pulse roaring in her ears as her breath turned shallow. "Wh-" the word barely formed before he raised a finger to her mouth, shushing her. She wanted to move away, duck her head or something, but it was as if an invisible force was holding her in place. Her mouth parted unconsciously as her gaze dropped to his lips which were a hair's breath away. But instead of closing up the distance, he seemed to be content with the status quo, their blue eyes boring into each other. And just as she thought that he was going to kiss her, he pulled back and said nonchalantly: "Well, good that we've established that now."

Caroline blinked, confused. Her heart was still racing and her mind still reeling from his closeness to barely comprehend the bizarre turn of events when he continued: "I have something to show you." He retrieved his phone from his pocket and tapped then swiped the screen a few times. Satisfied, he held it in front of her. It was a video of a poorly lit place and she could hear someone muttering: "Yep, here they are..." just as the screen revealed four figures who were seated down in separate chairs. The image shook as the person holding the camera walked towards the first one on the left. Caroline gasped in horror when she realised it was Elena, bound to a chair and gagged with a piece of cloth that had surely been doused in vervain because of the burn marks on her face. Her eyes were round with terror as she struggled silently to get out of her binds. "That's one," the voice counted. "Two." Damon came into the picture, gagged and bound like Elena. "Three." Jeremy. "And, last of all..."

"Mum!" Caroline shouted as the final figure came into focus. "Oh my god! Why are you doing this, Klaus?" she said, shoving him back.

He stood as still as a statue - as if her push hadn't even registered with him although she had used her vampire strength. Instead, one corner of his mouth turned up and he said: "Guess again, sweetheart. I'm not the one who wants to be your last love. I already have one."

Seeing her closest friends and her mother's captive forms had sent adrenaline rushing through her veins. Her mind went into overdrive as she mentally tossed up with all the possibilities to his declaration and her anger turned to fear as everything clicked together. "Silas?" she mouthed, the word coming out as a whisper.

"You know, I'm beginning to see why Klaus is smitten with you," Silas said with a laugh.

Caroline tried to overcome her panic, recalling her last encounter with Silas. Her eyes darted from side to side to find an escape while she blurted out the first thing that come to mind. "Stefan dumped you into the ravine!" she stated.

His only reply was a broadening of his smile. It was doubly terrifying, watching a repeat of the Silas/Klaus switcheroo since she had been seeing the latter in a different light after graduation. It was like talking to Elena when she switched off her humanity - but worse. "What do you want from me, Silas?" she asked, knowing she couldn't possibly outrun the oldest immortal on Earth.

"To play a game, Caroline." He paused for effect and continued: "I set the rules, you follow them. And I'll release your friends and mother without harming them when it ends."

"And if I don't want to play your games?"

"That's a stupid question coming from the clever Caroline, isn't it? You are fully aware of how things will pan out if you don't do what I ask. I have the leverage," he said, signalling to his phone, "and I'm pretty sure you'll find the task much more enjoyable than you think it'd be, considering your response to me - or Klaus, depending on how you want to see it - just moments ago."

* * *

Caroline stormed into the Salvatore house and tore through every room searching for her friends. She had stopped by her house first, and found it in disarray with numerous signs of struggle, which indicated that her mum had put up quite a fight. It was the same here, with overturned furniture, torn curtains and broken lamps, to name a few. Bile rose in her throat as she assessed the helplessness of her situation. She could think of a few locations in Mystic Falls where Silas was keeping her loved ones, but they all seemed too obvious. Even if she were to luck out with one of them, the place would probably be highly secured with magic, together with his minions, like the one who took the video she saw. No, it was too big a risk - her life, her friends' and her mum's were at stake. And she didn't want to tempt Silas's wrath by showing blatant disregard of the "rules" which he had set. Her scream of frustration was caught in her throat when 'Tyler' suddenly appeared in front of her. She knew it was Silas before he even uttered a word. "Why are you still here?" She spun round, her blonde curls whipping the air, only to be confronted with 'Stefan'. "You should be on your way to New Orleans." She flashed to the door to find 'Damon' blocking it. "Hm... who should I hurt first?" he asked in mock consideration.

Caroline's head was spinning as she succumbed to the stress. "No, wait! I'm going now. Please don't hurt them," she cried as 'Damon' disappeared. She took the chance to run out of the house as 'Elena' called after her, "Remember my rules! I'll catch up with you soon!"

* * *

Klaus stood in a shadowy corner of the bustling room, leaning against the wall and watched in distaste as Marcel spun Camille around before he scooped her up in one hand, clasped her hand in another, and tilted her back into a low dip. The music was blaring and there was a ton of people chatting at the same time, but Klaus's vampire hearing tracked their conversation easily.

"I can't believe you've been in New Orleans for two years and I only managed to meet you a month ago," whispered Marcel into Camille's ear.

"Well, there are close to four hundred thousand people living here," she countered with a breathless giggle as he led her up suddenly and spun her around again.

"In that case, I'm sure fate has something in store for us," he said as he held her close and they swayed to the music.

Klaus rolled his eyes at the corniness of the statement and wondered how a smart girl like Camille would fall for it. His thoughts then drifted to another blonde who had ridiculed his words, even though they had been uttered with much more sincerity. Maybe she was smarter, he thought with pride, a small smirk spreading across his face. A drunk's retch snapped his thoughts back into the present and he was reminded of what he came here to do.

He straightened up and strode purposefully across the room, the crowd melting away at his approach. Now, that's more like it, he thought, glad that all his menacing glares and carefully worded threats to Marcel's people had not gone to waste. His protegé's imbeciles finally had the good sense to steal fearful glances instead of looking squarely at him, and they would rather make a detour than risk crossing his path even though they knew that they had Marcel's backing. These pleasant thoughts and the fact that he made it to his intended destination in less than fifteen second put a genuine smile on his face.

"Klaus, so glad you could join us tonight," said Marcel in his dramatic way.

"Marcel. Great party, as usual. May I?" said Klaus.

"Of course," replied Marcel, placing his partner's hand into Klaus's outstretched hand and took a step back.

Camille was shaking her head in amusement as she let Klaus lead her away from Marcel. "You men and your alpha male behaviour," she muttered under her breath.

"Happy birthday, Cami," said Klaus, twirling her around pompously.

Camille threw her head back and laughed. "Thanks, Klaus. And don't think I haven't caught on to your subtle mockeries."

He widened his eyes in pretence and she rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, I confess. I am attracted to him. He's really cute and charming..."

"Says the psychology student who should know these characteristics all point to typical serial killer behaviour," he interrupted.

Camille's mood turned introspective and she sighed heavily. "I know right," she looked down and paused. Klaus saw her shoulders shaking before hearing her burst out into a round of giggles. "Seriously, Klaus. If I didn't know better, I'd be flattered at your chivalrous attempt to save me from Marcel. But don't worry about me, okay? I can take care of myself."

The song drew to a stop and Klaus acceded to Camille with a slight nod of his head as he produced a long, rectangular deep red velvet box. "This is for you," he said, popping it open to reveal a thin silver bracelet with two charms, one of which was a figurine with her leg in a karate kick, and the other, a box decorated daintily with a black ribbon. Taking advantage of her astonishment, he proceeded to secure the trinket around her wrists and grasp her hand in his. "It reminded me of a brave girl. Promise me you'll always wear it?"

Camille almost teared up at his unexpectedly thoughtful present and she returned a small nod to acknowledge his request. She couldn't figure him out - this enigmatic man whom she was sure wasn't attracted to her. But to attribute his actions to him wanting to assert himself to Marcel wasn't entirely accurate either. Perhaps it was this offbeat camaraderie they had, she figured, instantly touched at the thought that he valued her friendship. "Thank you."

"I love birthdays," he said, giving her a gallant kiss on her hand for good measure when he caught Marcel staring at them in the distance.

* * *

Caroline walked into the room thronged with party-goers. Feeling as if she was constantly spied on, no matter where she turned, she fought to keep her panic down and tried to locate Klaus in the chaos. She was told that he would be here today, and she had rushed to make her way to the address once she landed at the airport. She weaved her way in, casting furtive glances in a bid to stay inconspicuous. When she entered the main hall, her eyes were magnetically drawn to the middle of the dance floor. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt as if an ice-cold hand was squeezing her heart as her mind processed the sight unravelling in front of her. Klaus was putting on a bracelet for a pretty girl with wavy blonde hair. Then he raised her hand and bent his head to place a kiss on it. The feeling of deja vu had a paralysing effect on her. A mass of emotions assaulted her and she realised she couldn't grab hold of any one of them.

Caroline knew it was going to happen before it did with absolute certainty. And sure enough, Klaus eyes left the blonde's face and immediately fixed on her. Like how her vampire hearing had decided to tune to a constant bandwidth of white noise a few seconds ago, it suddenly decided to pick up on the one word coming out of his mouth - her name. The sound broke the invisible bubble and she turned around and ran out of the party.

* * *

Klaus watched her long hair fly up as she turned to run out of the hall. He hesitated for a second, barely believing his eyes before rushing after her. Catching her arm and pulling her to him, his eyes were still wide with disbelief and shock that the girl who had haunted his thoughts and dreams had come to look for him. It had only been a few weeks since he made the decision to let her go, and he had reconciled himself to the possibility that it would probably be a few decades before he could see her again. But here she was, standing in front of him, with a raging fire in her eyes.

"Let go of me," she spat. "Gosh! How could I be so stupid? I mean, your little gifts and silly endearments - I'm sure they're working well for you! Have you given her your beautiful sketches or showed her your impressive art collection? How many of these 'worn-by-a-princess-as-beautiful-as-you' bracelets do you have? Did you, like, get your little Rumpelstiltskin to make them in bulk for you?" rattled Caroline.

"Not here, love." said Klaus, his eyes dancing with amusement as he pulled her out of the house and down the street. When they were out in the open, he turned his head around to check that they were alone before loosening his grip on her arm.

"Was that jealousy I detected?" he asked, as if there hadn't been a break between her rant and his statement.

"What? No. Are you kidding me? Why would I be jealous?" said Caroline, her voice unusually high-pitched.

"Because the last I checked, Rumpelstiltskin had nothing to do with bracelets," he beamed.

She refused to answer him, and she crossed her arms to prevent herself from reaching out that slap that conceited smile off his face. Instead, she settled on giving him a withering glare which failed miserable to intimidate him even the least bit.

Instead of teasing her further, he decided to change the topic. "Why are you here, Caroline?" he asked.

Caroline's heart sank at his question. Seeing him with another girl had thrown her for a loop and in her annoyance, she had forgotten her true purpose for coming to look for him. "I can't tell you the reason, but can I please stay with you for a while?"

Her frankness surprised him and he decided not to push her for a reason, sensing her distress. His acquiescence was his proffered arm and a statement: "I'm glad you think my sketches are beautiful."

* * *

"You can't keep doing this, you know, Rebekah," said Matt, exasperated.

"Do what?" asked Rebekah.

"Terrorise every girl who glances my way. ."

"She was hanging all over you like a cheap suit - sorry, I mean, slut."

"Now, you're being mean. She was just doing her job. She's a waitress, Rebekah. She's expected to ask the diners for their orders and enquire about their meal. Besides, she barely said two sentence to me."

"Mean? Me? She didn't even look at me when I was placing my order! And instead, she kept throwing you suggestive looks."

Matt sighed and put down his fork. "I think I need a breather. I'm going to take a stroll - alone - before heading back to the hostel. I'll see you back there, okay?" he said and walked away from the table before she could say another word.

Rebekah watched despondently as Matt step out of the restaurant. It wasn't the first time he had expressed his displeasure at her possessiveness, but it was the first time he had walked away from her. How could he defend the girl who was so rude to her, she thought. But a voice at the back of her head was chiding her childish actions. Matt was right. She had to ease off on her controlling behaviour. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Placing a couple of bills on the table, she hurried out after him.

She stepped out onto the gravelly pavement and looked down both sides of the empty road. It was 9pm in the evening and the summer sun was just halfway through its daily descent. The roads were well-lit enough, but she couldn't see any trace of Matt. She frowned and took out her phone, punching in his number. Starting down the direction of their hostel, she raised the phone to her ear. She halted when her vampire hearing picked up a familiar ringtone sounding to her right, behind what looked like a abandoned building. She approached the grey and desolate-looking structure warily, calling out Matt's name. Then she heard a muffled cry and she rushed towards the noise to see a tall and muscular figure wearing a black leather jacket, rugged jeans and black working boots holding Matt's hands in a vice grip with one hand, and the other covering his mouth.

"Oh, you picked on the wrong guy to mug," said Rebekah, moving forward to attack the guy. She didn't even make it two steps before someone came from behind her and snapped her neck. As she fell into a heap on the floor, the light fell onto her attacker's face. Matt's eyes widened in confusion when he realised who it was.

"Hi, Matt. It's great to finally meet you. I'm Silas, and I need your help."

* * *

**A/N: I guess I cheated a bit on the canon that Silas can only appear as someone else without the presence of anyone else. But he's still new to the show and we don't know the depth of his powers yet. Still, Caroline was the only one who could see him so that's my justification for the cheat. :P And I think everything Silas/Klaus did was true to what the real Klaus would have done. What do you think?**


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N: My head is hanging in shame at the super late update. Hope the Klaroline interactions in this chapter make up for it! And thanks for the favourites, follows and reviews. It's always good to know that someone is reading this. Prevents me from giving this up completely. :P_**

* * *

The moon was hanging low in the sky, partially obscured by a mass of grey cloud. A few stray rays of faint moonlight managed to make their way through the tiny gaps in the fluff, but they seemed to disperse at the slightest contact with any surface. Under the ineffective illumination of several street lights, two figures made their way silently between two rows of neatly arranged houses to the end of the lane, where a white picket fence marked the beginning of a sprawling estate.

Klaus paused in the act of pushing open the front door to his house, frowning when he realised that he couldn't put off telling Caroline about his living arrangements any longer. He turned to her and caught her looking over her shoulder, the porch light imparting an ethereal glow to her blonde curls and framing her small oval face. Even as her eyes searched the large expense of shadow that marked the boundaries between his house at the end of the lane and the other rows of houses in trepidation, Klaus was awestruck by the intelligence behind them and the stunning beauty they belonged to. He saw her shiver and made haste to sweep her into the house, even though he knew her reaction wasn't caused out of any physical discomfort.

"I'll get the guest room ready for you," he said, then teetered on the spot as if he was considering adding something distasteful to him when thundering steps sounded along the upstairs corridor before a pair of lengthy and lithe legs appeared at the top of the stairs. "Klaus! Did you get the informa-"

Caroline's expression mirrored that of the intruder who had stopped in the act of skittering down the stairs. Klaus's irritated growl was the only indication that the seconds were still passing, as the two women, each strikingly beautiful in their own way, gaped at one another. The brunette recovered first, her perfectly arched brows snapping together before her eyes narrowed and she made the rest of the way down the steps, directing a confused yet menacing glare at the blonde.

"Why are _you_ here? And where is Tyler?"

"Hayley," Klaus's low voice reverberated threateningly.

Hayley's eyes snapped to Klaus then back to Caroline, and a contemptuous expression settled on her face. "Oh, I see what's going on," she said as he threw another meaningful glare her way.

"Hayley," he repeated, a touch louder.

But the advancing weregirl ignored him and continued with her gleeful conclusion, unleashing her pent-up anger against him on the wide-eyed blonde standing as still as a statue beside him. "Well, I'm glad Tyler's finally rid of his—what were the words he used to describe you exactly, let me see—paranoid, controlling, and neurotic mess of a vampire girlfriend," she spat, punctuating every adjective by stepping closer to Caroline until they were standing nose to nose.

There was a split second of silence before Caroline's carefully maintained facade of self-control exploded at those words. A growl escaped her as her eyes turned dark, the veins around them standing out, and she launched herself at the girl who had once snapped her neck in a toilet. Her sudden movement caught Hayley by surprise, flinging her against a wall as she knocked a piece of framed art to the floor, its glass shattering into pieces with a loud crash. Her feet kicked at the air, inches above the ground while she thrashed against the vampire's grip. One of her arms moved unconsciously to her tummy and the other clawed at Caroline's forearm that was pinned against her neck in a stranglehold.

Klaus's initial amazement at Caroline's loss of control delayed his reaction to the fight. But once he recovered, he flashed to their side in a split second and gripped Caroline's arm. "Caroline, no. Let her go," said Klaus. Caroline's shock at Klaus's intervention jolted her senses and she growled at Hayley, biting out the words, "Don't talk to me about Tyler. Ever." before dropping her like a rag doll. When Klaus moved to help Hayley stand up, Caroline felt a burst of jealousy and anger at his protectiveness of the insolent werewolf. At that moment, a shout rang out from the second floor. "What the hell is going on?"

Caroline whirled round at her best friend's voice, wishing with all her heart that she had finally woken from her nightmare even as she knew for certain it was pointless. The smirk appearing on the familiar face, with her luscious locks tousled with sleep confirmed her worse suspicions, but nothing could have prepared her for the mini speech the doppelgänger was going to make. Caroline caught none of Hayley's barbed glances thrown her way while she cautiously increased the distance between them nor Elijah's frustrated look that seem to hide a hint of amusement. Not even Klaus's furious looks, directed at everyone present in this little drama unfolding but herself. She might have even managed a giggle at seeing the eldest Original sibling at his most casual—barefoot, in his pajamas that consisted of a pair of black, straight-cut track pants paired with a perfectly fitted dark grey V-neck short-sleeved T-shirt—if Katherine's announcement had not taken the cake out of everything that she had seen and heard, and was subjected to the past couple of days.

"Well, well, if it isn't the doppelgänger's blonde sidekick!" said Katherine gleefully. "Welcome to the house party! But before you proceed, there's a few facts you ought to know. She," she continued, gesturing to Hayley, "is pregnant with his child." At Katherine's finger-pointing, Caroline couldn't help but feel her heart drop. It was a miracle that she could sense Klaus looking in her direction as numbness crept over her but she ignored him, focusing her attention solely on the brunette who was delighted at bursting everyone's secret bubble instead. "We," she continued, indicating Hayley and herself, "have been grounded by the almighty Elijah-" waving her hand absent-mindedly behind her before it was caught by the latest subject of her discussion.

"That's enough, Katerina."

"Ouch! You're hurting me!" Katherine protested, trying to release her wrist from Elijah's grasp.

"I'm sorry for the lack of hospitality, Caroline. I'm sure Niklaus will show you to one of the guest rooms while the rest of us retire for the night. Any discussion will be carried out in the morning, when everyone is well-rested and less cranky," Elijah intoned with finality, still maintaining a death grip on Katherine. "Hayley?"

Caroline caught Hayley's caustic glare before she proceeded upstairs without another word of objection.

* * *

Klaus laid in bed in complete darkness as he simmered in anger. He hadn't counted on Caroline's arrival in New Orleans, much less her strange request to choose lodging with him for an unspecified duration. Initially, he had thought that her appearance had something to do with Tyler, but it seemed less plausible now that he come to think of it. She still had her gang of friends and her "grand plans" of going to college, so it didn't make sense for her to come and look for him when her first semester was just starting. He wanted to ask her, to either coax or force it out of her to satisfy his curiosity, but he knew how guarded she would become whenever she felt trapped, so he decided to let the matter rest and do some sleuthing of his own. Nonetheless, she was a distraction and he wasn't sure if he could afford it at a crucial time like this.

To make matters worse, Katherine had gone and blabbed to her about his indiscretions before he even had the chance to explain it to her. Not that he needed to. They were never together, anyway. Still, he could have sworn that Elijah had purposely delayed the interruption into his Katerina's little speech as way of getting back at him for all the time Klaus left him alone to deal with the two women in residence, knowing full well how his brother was trying to appease Katherine for his high-handed way of grounding her, while juggling with Hayley's growing infatuation. Yet, Klaus's irritation was hampered by a tinge of admiration for his brother's self-control—that he had held out as long as he had—because he himself would have done worse and given in to the temptation of daggering him.

Klaus was about to get up and pour himself a glass of Scotch when he picked up sounds coming from Caroline's room. He thought for a moment before making his way soundlessly to her door only to hear an abnormally still silence. At first he thought she was asleep, but he was sure she was just settling in moments ago, and now there was barely a rustling of the bedsheets. He didn't want to look desperate, but he couldn't help but raise his hand to knock on her door. Just to make sure she's all right, he promised himself.

The door swung back to reveal Caroline, more determined and less confused and flustered than when he had left her just now, although her eyes looked a bit unfocused, as if she were in a faraway place. He was a little surprised to see that she was still wearing her jeans and empire-waisted top from just now. Her denim jacket was strewn on one of the armchairs across the room. Klaus stood in awkward silence running through potential conversation openers in his mind. He was about to ask her some lame question about settling in when her eyes seemed to brighten up almost slyly and she blurted, "Can you accompany me for the night?"

* * *

Caroline sat propped up in the four poster bed with the duvet drawn up to her waist. She should have been more comfortable, considering that she had her first proper shower in two days and she was in a spacious and luxurious bedroom decorated with velvet, fine leather with hints of gold accents in the overhead chandelier and the frame of the mirror—nothing short of what she would expect from the oldest vampire siblings. But she wasn't in any mood to take any of the comforts in. She was on a mission and her mother and friends' lives depended on her.

Another irrational reason that stopped her from truly relaxing in the room was that she just had another unwanted "visit" from Silas here just barely half an hour ago. After Klaus had shown her to what she suspected was the room furthest away from Hayley, she had closed the door, peeled off her two-day-old jacket and slumped down on the maroon velvet settee at the end of the four poster bed. The numbness from Katherine's revelations was just starting to fade and, to her horror, she started giggling uncontrollably at the ridiculousness of the situation—Elijah's ensemble at the forefront of them. The stress had overwhelmed her and before long, hot tears were running down her cheeks and her laughter had turned into hiccups and sobs.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Tyler's voice came from beside her.

Caroline jumped and scooted to the far end of the settee. It was a small consolation that she could now tell Silas's illusions apart from reality even if he hadn't appeared out of nowhere—it was a slightly crazed look coupled with a tinge of self-assurance—and she knew without a doubt that it wasn't her ex-boyfriend sitting beside her. Feeling emotionally exhausted, it was annoyance that came to the forefront. "Will you stop doing that?!" she asked, and she could see that he was thoroughly enjoying her distress. The thought steeled her in her refusal to let him continue gaining the upper hand. "I'm here. What do you want me to do next?"

"Patience, Caroline. Why don't you enjoy this opulence while you can?"

"Where are my friends and mum? I want to see them."

"All in good time, my dear. All in good time."

"How do I know you haven't killed them?"

"Well, I guess you'll just have to trust me on that, don't you?"

She was about to retort when a knock sounded at the door. In the blink of an eye, Silas was gone, leaving her staring blankly at the empty space beside her. Something clicked in her mind as she thought back on all her run-ins with Silas since that day at the college—at the Salvatore house, at the restroom at the airport. A few pieces of the puzzle snapped into place and she was so engrossed in seeing the bigger picture that she unconsciously moved toward the door and opened it wide. Klaus's presence seemed to bring everything into focus suddenly and she saw him without really seeing him at all. It finally dawned on her how Silas's mind tricks work and before she could help herself, she blurted out the only thing that she felt would buy her some peace just so she could come up with another way to outwit Silas.

Only at Klaus's raised eyebrows did she realise how suggestive her request sounded. She could feel her blush right down to her toes as she tried to clarify her sentence. "Gosh! I don't mean accompany as in _accompany_. I mean, can you just stay around and hang out while staying about three feet away from me? And not talk! You can pretend to be a statue or ornament, or something inanimate," she babbled.

"Anything for you, love."

She rolled her eyes at his conceited comment and stepped back to let him through the door.

"Stop calling me that! No funny business, okay? I mean it!" she said, drawing out a chuckle from him.

"Whatever you say, love."

He had then proceeded to stand beside the only armchair in the room which was situated about five feet diagonally away from foot of the bed and gestured to Caroline as if asking for her permission to sit.

"Um, sure. Make yourself at home," she mumbled. She gave herself a mental kick herself for her choice of words when Klaus's eyes danced in amusement and he assumed an air of indifference, lounging casually in the heavy armchair. Caroline was at a loss what to do now that Klaus had acceded to her outrageous request, so she decided to take a shower to clear her mind. Her heartbeat quickened when she went into the en suite bathroom and had to face the choice of just closing the door without locking it or closing and locking it, not that a door and lock would do much to protect her from Klaus if he really wanted to try anything funny. But as she reviewed her interactions with Klaus, she had to admit that he had been the perfect gentlemen when he was around her and that Klaus barging in on her shower was the least of her worries at this point in time. So she had boldly left the door slightly ajar—she figured that technically, it meant that she wasn't alone in a confined space, which lowered the possibility of Silas appearing again as he had shown that he had no respect for her privacy by turning up in the bathroom of the airport when she was the only one in it.

It was the fastest and most stressful shower she had ever had, even though she did feel more refreshed—physically, at least. Klaus's only reaction at his surprise at her quick emergence from the bathroom was his widened eyes and she had to give him props for his restraint.

Now, settled in bed and safe—for the moment—from Silas's taunting, Caroline should be free to think of ways to save her mother and friends, but yet, her thoughts kept getting pulled back to the person who was making this peace possible.

"How ironic," she muttered, earning yet another raised eyebrow from Klaus. She let out a huff of frustration and tried to focus on everything else in the room except him.

"Caroline," said Klaus softly. "I want to explain everything."

She shot him the coldest glare she could muster, but Klaus's gaze was unflinching. She didn't know how long they held each other's gazes, but she finally relented with a sigh and a wave of her hand. "You don't have to, you know," she said.

"I know. But I _want_ to, although it's complicated." Klaus took a deep breath and trudged on. "Hayley is pregnant with my child as a result of a one-night stand. We were both drunk. It was a mistake. And the rules of a vampire do not necessarily apply to a hybrid, as I found out after that."

Caroline's heart twisted at the mention of Hayley. She didn't want to admit it, but part of her was irrationally relieved to hear from Klaus that he wasn't in love with the werewolf. "Elijah made you take responsibility."

"Yes."

His honesty surprised her and they both fell silent. She tried to phrase her next question so it didn't sound jealous. "When did you find out about Hayley? Before or after you came to my graduation?"

Klaus hesitated. "After."

"And you never thought to mention it during your little declaration of 'love'?" Caroline was riled now.

"It didn't matter. She doesn't matter."

"How about the child she's carrying? Your child!" Even as the words left her lips, she knew the answer—and how Klaus would answer. But his protectiveness over Hayley just now was proof enough, despite what he would say.

Sure enough, Klaus shrugged. But the words which he uttered were filled with bitterness. "The child is Elijah's bargaining chip. It's _their_ bargaining chip. But I'm only playing along because it's in line with my agenda."

"Which is?"

"To claim back my rightful place here in New Orleans."

"Which is?"

"I will be king in this town. And Marcel and his cronies will yield to me eventually."

Caroline's brows furrowed. Here it was again, Klaus's need to conquer and command. The side to Klaus that she knew and hated, and she couldn't stop herself from asking, "I don't suppose Marcel is the girl you were charming?"

"Camille? She's my bargaining chip," he said indulgently.

Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Marcel's interested in her."

"So you are 'courting' her to make him jealous?"

"It's a little bit more complicated than that. Camille's mum was killed by some thugs a while ago. She fought one of the men and saw a birthmark on him. Hayley has that same birthmark and she doesn't know her parents. It's a symbol that belonged to a werewolf pack which used to command Louisiana. I haven't heard of them in nearly five centuries and I thought their line had been exterminated. And Marcel, in my absence, has managed to gain almost complete control of this town's supernatural comings and goings. The witches cannot do magic without him finding out. And I'm pretty sure he will have something to do with the lack of werewolves' presence here, too."

"Have you told Camille about this?"

"I'd rather she stay in the dark."

"Why?"

Klaus considered for a moment and gave another shrug.

"I mean if Marcel is interested in Camille and she knew about his supposed 'involvement' in these werewolves, wouldn't she be the best candidate to get information out of him?"

"Theoretically speaking. But it would also put her in more danger. I'd rather she stay away from him. It's going to cause complications if we brought her into the picture. It's safer for her if he just believes that I'm courting her to assert my dominance—as am everything else I'm doing overtly. Marcel knows I want his place. He also knows I'm outnumbered. And I'm sure he has back-up plans in place if I try to overthrow him by force. I need to play my cards right."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I wanted to. And since you're the smartest person I know, perhaps you can help me connect the dots and figure out how to make me king of this town. You'll get to be queen then, you know? If you want to, of course."

Caroline was stunned into silence momentarily and her thoughts turned inward as she processed their talk. Sure, Klaus had said that his only goal was to dethrone Marcel. But she felt that he was clearly taking other people into consideration—Elijah, Hayley, Camille, and his unborn child. Or was she finding excuses to make him seem less like a monster just to justify her attraction to him, thought Caroline bitterly. She found that she had nothing to reply to Klaus's comment about being his queen so she moved into a sleeping position on the bed and turned away from Klaus.

"Good night, Caroline."

Before she gave up to exhaustion, she murmured to herself, "A friend and a soon-to-be father, eh? Who would've thought?" and she swore she could feel Klaus's dimpled smile directed at her back.


End file.
